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Mother tells House panel multiple system failures preceded 6-year-old's death
Summary
At a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing, Brandy Mori Pols detailed interactions with family court, CPS, local sheriffs and probation officers that she says failed her son, Rowan Morey, before he was murdered. She urged legislative change and said she will pursue legal action.
Brandy Mori Pols, Rowan Morey's mother, told the House Oversight Subcommittee on Child Welfare System that multiple parts of the child-welfare and justice systems failed her son before he was murdered at age 6.
Pols said she spent 52 hours searching for Rowan after he was missing, during which she was repeatedly told by Isabella County sheriff's deputies and others that the case was "a civil matter" or a custody dispute and that authorities could not issue an Amber Alert. She said a judge, Eric James, denied an emergency motion to return Rowan despite having signed the family's 2020 custody order specifying return arrangements.
The testimony matters because it recounts alleged breakdowns across agencies that handle child safety — family court, child protective services (CPS), local law enforcement, probation and the medical examiner — and because members of the committee signaled they will consider legislation in response.
Pols described repeated reports to CPS and family-court referees about signs she…
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